Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111360

Andrew S. Kochera, Public Policy Institute, AARP, 601 E Street N.W., Washington, DC 20049, 202-434-3866, akochera@aarp.org

This presentation will provide an overview of recent research from “Livable Communities: An Imperative for Successful Aging,” which is one in a series of highly publicized “Beyond 50” reports. This particular report demonstrates the ties among community engagement, housing, and transportation, and successful aging, and highlights the consequences of community features that fail to account for the diversity of residents' needs.

Many of the findings of this report are based on existing research or on special analysis of existing government data such as the American Housing Survey and the National Household Travel Survey. Some of the most intriguing findings are based on a 2004 survey conducted especially for this project by the Roper Public Affairs & Media group of NOP World. This unique research demonstrates the relationships among the features of homes, communities, transportation, mobility and the ability of people to age successfully and enjoy high levels of community engagement. Among the benefits of this research was the ability to develop scales for several key concepts, include levels of community engagement. In addition, the survey includes numerous questions that capture various elements of “successful aging,” a term found in gerontology literature encompassing a wide variety self-perceptions and outcomes among older persons. Statistical modeling and significance testing were used to analyze these complex relationships.

As part of this presentation, key community “best practices” and policy implications will be highlighted.

Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, audience members will be able to

• articulate how community features influence a number of successful aging outcomes
• identify empirical evidence that shows the relationship between community features and successful aging outcomes of residents
• describe key practices and policy options that have been used to promote "livable" communities

Keywords: Elderly, Environmental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation